You do NOT want your child attending South Lakes or Herndon HS either.

Anonymous wrote:FYI. The Lake Anne Plaza area is part of Reston. Hickory Cluster is another ver popular neighborhood a short walk from the lake, but there is nothing for sale there currently.

There are nice, shaded walking paths from this area to Reston Town Center itself. All the Reston neighborhoods are connected by walking trails.

Note that some areas of Reston are zoned to Herndon HS and not South Lakes. Herndon is an AP school.

Lake Anne is considered the older, run down part of Reston. It’s not safe. I grew up in Reston and hardly ever went there. The elementary school is awful, too.

Regarding Vienna, the town itself is very walkable. It’s not the prettiest town, but has a healthy commercial heart, with a town green and some historic structures. Madison HS is walkable to much of the town.

Here’s some more Herndon and Reston info: I believe the northern part of Reston above Baron Cameron Ave is currently zoned to Herndon HS. But all the school zones may change later this year. The current school rezoning proposals are featured on the FCPS boundary review website. Note that these are just proposals:
https://www.fcpsboundaryreview.org/

Herndon town guide:
https://www.funinfairfaxva.com/things-to-do-in-herndon-virginia/

Reston Lake Anne guide:
https://www.funinfairfaxva.com/visit-lake-anne-reston-virginia/

Reston guide:
https://www.funinfairfaxva.com/top-10-things-to-do-reston-virginia/

To get a good feel for Reston and what it’s like to live there, you may want to walk the Lake Anne Trail.

https://www.funinfairfaxva.com/lake-anne-trail-reston-virginia/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FYI. The Lake Anne Plaza area is part of Reston. Hickory Cluster is another ver popular neighborhood a short walk from the lake, but there is nothing for sale there currently.

There are nice, shaded walking paths from this area to Reston Town Center itself. All the Reston neighborhoods are connected by walking trails.

Note that some areas of Reston are zoned to Herndon HS and not South Lakes. Herndon is an AP school.

Thanks, in fact walking is very important to her- what is the safety of that like in Reston? is the best walking neighborhoods Herndon or South Lakes?

Reston was designed and built as a model planned community in the 60s by the top planners and architects in the country at the time. Fascinating history. Like Irvine, California, it is what’s called a “New Town.” Walking trails, parks, modern home designs, trees, lakes, pools, golf courses, and villages for shopping were all planned to the smallest detail in Reston.

Herndon has a quaint downtown but outside the historic area there is just typical suburban sprawl, which is not designed around the pedestrian.

For pedestrian safety, I’d choose Reston hands down. Lake Anne Plaza is quieter and more village like than Reston Town Center (which is the busy, urban commercial heart of Reston). Check out https://www.restonmuseum.org/

From the website: “Simon hired Whittlesey & Conklin (later Conklin Rossant) to create a Master Plan. He wanted to build a new town different from the suburban sprawl that characterized post-WWII development. Walkability, accessible amenities, and the idea of living and working in the same area were important to him.”

South Lakes HS itself is near Lake Thoreau and the South Lakes Village shopping area with cafes overlooking the lake. Not as interesting as Lake Anne Plaza, but still a nice area with cafes and coffee shops. Many students walk to and from South Lakes HS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:is there a big difference between the Fairfax schools like Madison and Oakton, and high schools in Loudoun like Independence and Briar Woods?

Not really. Independence, Madison, and Oakton are large schools (Oakton being the biggest, followed by Independence, and then Madison) that are very sports oriented with solid academics. Madison is much whiter than the other three schools and not a very diverse place. Briar Woods is somewhat smaller due to the other high schools opened up near Ashburn over the years.

Why is Madison so much whiter? It says it is 7 minutes away from Oakton on the map...

Because it serves the Town of Vienna. Madison for decades has been the whitest school in FCPS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:is there a big difference between the Fairfax schools like Madison and Oakton, and high schools in Loudoun like Independence and Briar Woods?

Not really. Independence, Madison, and Oakton are large schools (Oakton being the biggest, followed by Independence, and then Madison) that are very sports oriented with solid academics. Madison is much whiter than the other three schools and not a very diverse place. Briar Woods is somewhat smaller due to the other high schools opened up near Ashburn over the years.

Why is Madison so much whiter? It says it is 7 minutes away from Oakton on the map...

Anonymous wrote:FYI. The Lake Anne Plaza area is part of Reston. Hickory Cluster is another ver popular neighborhood a short walk from the lake, but there is nothing for sale there currently.

There are nice, shaded walking paths from this area to Reston Town Center itself. All the Reston neighborhoods are connected by walking trails.

Note that some areas of Reston are zoned to Herndon HS and not South Lakes. Herndon is an AP school.

Thanks, in fact walking is very important to her- what is the safety of that like in Reston? is the best walking neighborhoods Herndon or South Lakes?

Madison and Oakton are AP high schools and South Lakes is IB. I don’t know if that makes a difference. Plus, there are currently boundary changes brewing that make affect all schools.

FYI. The Lake Anne Plaza area is part of Reston. Hickory Cluster is another ver popular neighborhood a short walk from the lake, but there is nothing for sale there currently.

There are nice, shaded walking paths from this area to Reston Town Center itself. All the Reston neighborhoods are connected by walking trails.

Note that some areas of Reston are zoned to Herndon HS and not South Lakes. Herndon is an AP school.

Check out the Lake Anne (Lake Anne Plaza) area too. It’s zoned to South Lakes for high school. Very beautiful area that attracts creative types due to the European-style mid-century modern design on the lake. The homes there tend to go fast when they hit the market.

South Lakes is a pretty good FCPS high school with strong arts and sports, but not nearly as sports orientated as Madison. It is an IB school, and demographically South Lakes has more white students than most Northern Va schools which tend to be more diverse

Anonymous wrote:is there a big difference between the Fairfax schools like Madison and Oakton, and high schools in Loudoun like Independence and Briar Woods?

Not really. Independence, Madison, and Oakton are large schools (Oakton being the biggest, followed by Independence, and then Madison) that are very sports oriented with solid academics. Madison is much whiter than the other three schools and not a very diverse place. Briar Woods is somewhat smaller due to the other high schools opened up near Ashburn over the years.

is there a big difference between the Fairfax schools like Madison and Oakton, and high schools in Loudoun like Independence and Briar Woods?

https://www.fcps.edu/schools-centers?keywords=south+lakes

Click on boundary maps. Not sure what part of RTC area you live.
You can check the other high school boundaries, too.

The difference? South Lakes offers IB. Madison and Oakton offer AP.

Is South Lakes for all of Reston town center area? for an incoming ninth grader new to NoVa. Looking to buy in the area. A socially anxious, more artsy ninth grade girl with math difficulties, probably needs a specialized IEP. Thanks!